CHICAGO, April 5, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Howe Barnes Hoefer & Arnett announces the appointment of Brad Vander Ploeg as Senior Vice President and Director of Research. In addition to providing analysis on community and regional banks, Mr. Vander Ploeg will direct, supervise and manage Howe Barnes' research department which currently has a staff of four senior analysts who provide equity research and analysis on over 80 community banking organizations throughout the United States. Mr. Vander Ploeg will be located at Howe Barnes' corporate offices in Chicago.
Prior to joining Howe Barnes, Mr. Vander Ploeg was a Senior Equity Research Analyst in the Financial Institutions Group of Raymond James & Associates, a full service investment firm based in St. Petersburg, Florida. Mr. Vander Ploeg covered a broad universe of bank and savings and loan stocks at Raymond James, ranging from large to small-cap companies, and was part of a team that wrote research on more than 60 financial institutions. Mr. Vander Ploeg has 20 years of experience focusing on the banking sector with firms including Robert W. Baird, First Union Securities, and Merrill Lynch. Mr. Vander Ploeg received his B.S. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
"I'm excited to be part of the Howe Barnes team, and look forward to steering the equity research effort during what promises to be an unprecedented period of change in the banking sector. By building on the firm's core strengths in the community banking space, we will be well-positioned to help our clients capitalize on the opportunities created during this period. I look forward to a long and productive career with Howe Barnes," commented Mr. Vander Ploeg.
According to Howe Barnes President and CEO Daniel E. Coughlin, "Brad is the ideal person to develop our equity research group. He has the knowledge, industry experience, integrity and desire to lead this effort. Providing independent and action oriented equity research on the banking industry is a fundamental requirement of our institutional and community bank clients. Brad is a high quality leader and will help us build upon our rich tradition in this area."
Established in 1915, Howe Barnes Hoefer & Arnett, Inc. is a full service brokerage firm headquartered in Chicago, IL with offices in eight states throughout the U.S. Its banking department specializes in sales, trading, research and corporate finance services for community banks and thrifts. Through its private client services department, the firm provides investment advice and products to both individual and institutional customers. Howe Barnes Hoefer & Arnett is the exclusive provider of capital markets services for the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA).